Few will argue that the Internet has revolutionized the means and the formats by which human beings communicate today. Specifically, a series of Internet software applications, collectively referred to as the World Wide Web, have brought color, site, sound, and some would even say life to content published on the Internet. The World Wide Web started with a relatively simple interactive search and presentation application called MOSAIC—the world's first web browser. MOSIAC was developed by academics in order to facilitate the sharing of research data located on computer systems at universities around the world. Soon after its development, however, wide spread commercialization of MOSAIC began.
Since MOSIAC's introduction, numerous other web browsers and related software applications have been developed. Whereas MOSIAC presented static content in a two dimensional format, more recent World Wide software applications, such as Flash™ and Real Player™, are capable of accessing and presenting dynamic content such as active containers, streaming audio/video, and various combinations of other multimedia Certain applications have attempted to simulate three dimensional environments over the Internet. For example, some websites allow a visitor to download a software application, commonly referred to as a plug-in, which works in conjunction with the visitor's web browser to simulate a three dimensional environment on the visitors screen. The parameters of the environment (walls, floor, and other containers within the 3-D space) are produced by the site's computer system and several visitors to the site may share and interact within a common environment.
Visitors to web sites providing three-dimensional environments, such as “www.worlds.com”, are usually assigned a virtual representative or agent, commonly referred to as an avatar. The visitor's view of the environment is from the perspective of the avatar, and the visitor navigates the three dimensional environment by directing his avatar to move within the virtual 3-D space. The visitor's view of the environment changes in relation to the avatar's change in perspective. Thus, in order for a visitor to change his view of the environment, he must direct his avatar to move. For the most part, the three dimensional environments of the prior art attempts to emulate a real environment with solid containers and fixed dimensions. A visitor is able to interact with other visitors and with containers such as links by causing their avatar to approach the container.